Baby Names 2016: The Most Popular Unisex Names Revealed

Unisex baby names are nothing new, but they are officially the hottest trend of 2016.

To prove this, Nameberry combed through U.S. Social Security data and found that gender-neutral monikers have increased by 88 per cent in the past 30 years — in the past decade alone, unisex names have risen by 60 per cent.

“The old ‘Boy Named Sue’ idea of a boy being shamed by having a girl’s name is passing away,” Satran told the New York Times. “Today, boys named Tatum feel as cool as girls named Rory, and vice versa.”

“Today, boys named Tatum feel as cool as girls named Rory, and vice versa.”

“Millennials are an open-minded and accepting group, and they don't want their children to feel pressured to conform to stereotypes that might be restrictive,” she explained.

Nameberry defines unisex names as “those with at least a 35/65 split between the sexes.” Based on this and data from the U.S. baby name registry, the site determined that Hayden (39 per cent girls, 61 per cent boys), Charlie (48 per cent girls, 52 per cent boys) and Emerson (60 per cent girls, 40 per cent boys) were the most popular unisex names of 2016.

The list of top names also revealed an overlap in baby name trends, as regal monikers like Justice (number 11) and Royal (number 14) made the list, as well as nature names like River (number 6) and Phoenix (number 9).

Click here to view Nameberry’s full list of most popular unisex baby names of 2016.

While unisex monikers are often thought to be a more popular trend for girls, Nameberry’s latest research proves otherwise. In fact, in 2015, 54 per cent of the top unisex names were mainly used for boys, which is an increase from 48 per cent in 2005.

Since we can’t get enough of these gender-neutral monikers, here’s our list of best unisex names for your baby.